Vertical GPTs Will Change the Buyer's Journey

Vertical GPTs are transforming the buyer's journey by providing specialized AI assistance tailored to specific industries and sectors including Science.

AZoNetwork CEO Ian Birkby recently discussed with Chris Conner from Life Science Marketing Radio the journey of building Azthena, an AI-powered chatbot, and its broader implications for the scientific community.

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CC: Ian, for those who might not be familiar with AZoNetwork, can you describe your network and the types of content you publish?

IB: Absolutely. I’m a material scientist by background, I started AZoNetwork to educate end users and designers about advanced materials. Today, we reach over 50 million unique visitors annually and have a subscriber base of more than a million people interested in commercial sciences. Our business model focuses on providing detailed, edited content across various scientific disciplines to support professionals in their research and development efforts.

CC: You recently built a vertical solution using a custom GPT to curate your site’s content and assist visitors. Can you describe Azthena and its functions?

IB: Azthena has been an exciting project. We first got involved with OpenAI in November 2022, and it's been a whirlwind journey since then. We recognized we had vast amounts of commercial scientific content, much of it encyclopedic, which was well suited for training Large Language Models. Traditional large language models, like ChatGPT, tend to aggregate content from across the internet, which can be a bit hit-and-miss regarding reliability. Our solution, Azthena, operates within a walled garden of our own vetted content. This ensures the information provided is trustworthy and authoritative, which is crucial for our users.

CC: What were some of the challenges in categorizing and organizing your data for Azthena?

IB: Like many entrepreneurs, I’m not a tech expert, but I know what our business needs. The challenge was substantial: restructuring databases, cleaning data, and ensuring it was all relevant and non-superfluous. We’re already working on version two of Azthena, aiming for even higher quality in the chatbot experience by having it ask itself questions and review its answers. The goal is to create specific LLMs that excel in particular areas, making them deep rather than broad in their expertise.

CC: How does the user experience with Azthena differ from using a general AI like ChatGPT?

IB: With ChatGPT, you're getting information pulled from across the internet, which can vary in quality. Azthena, on the other hand, provides information from a trusted source. It also offers detailed references with one-click access to source documents, which are all ungated, ensuring transparency and credibility. This trust layer is fundamental to Azthena's operation.

CC: What does the adoption path for this new technology look like?

IB: Users need to shift their mindset to see AI not just as an extended search tool but as a capable assistant for performing tasks. For example, you can ask Azthena to summarize key issues in genomics or identify key manufacturers in a specific field. It’s about leveraging AI to surface detailed and relevant data quickly and accurately.

CC: How do you see the role of human creativity in the era of advanced AI?

IB: Despite AI's impressive capabilities, human creativity and intelligence still play crucial roles. While large tech companies develop general AI models, there's a significant opportunity for vertical AI solutions like ours to excel in specific sectors. These models benefit from human expertise in building and refining them for specialized tasks.

CC: Where do you think content curation is heading in the future?

IB: There will always be a need for relevant, timely, and unique content. Businesses that embrace AI will gain efficiencies and advantages. Companies that fail to adapt may find themselves outpaced. The challenge is to balance AI capabilities with human oversight to ensure content remains accurate and trustworthy.

Azthena Use Cases

Azthena represents a significant leap forward in utilizing AI for scientific research and commercial applications. By operating within a framework of vetted content, Azthena provides reliable and trusted information, setting a new standard for AI-assisted research. As AI continues to evolve, the integration of human expertise and machine efficiency will drive the future of scientific discovery and innovation.

Azthena leverages this extensive content, catering to a variety of needs, from general scientific inquiries to specific product-related questions.

One key area of support is nanotechnology, a fast-evolving field with vast potential in electronics, medicine, energy, and materials science. By providing access to the latest nanotechnology research and advancements, we empower scientists to explore new possibilities and achieve breakthroughs in their fields.

Discover instant, trustworthy answers to your scientific questions with Azthena. Try it out today and let us know what you think.